Workers set for a fresh strike against Care UK

Doncaster care workers were set to strike for three days from Sunday of this week in a continuing fight to stop Care UK bosses slashing their pay. 

The Unison union members voted overwhelmingly for another seven days of strikes at a mass meeting as their second seven-day strike ended last month.

They expect more action to follow their three-day strike.

Unison rep Lorraine Cottrell told Socialist Worker, “There has been no movement from Care UK at all. Our members are adamant we have to continue the fight.”

The second day of the upcoming strike is “D Day”, falling on the deadline set by Care UK for workers to sign the new contracts.

“Someone is bringing a big bin and we will be burning all of our contracts outside Care UK’s office,” said Lorraine.

Care UK says workers who don’t sign the new contracts will effectively start working their notice on 8 April. It also said workers will lose out on a “transition payment”. 

But this pales into  insignificance compared to the cut in wages of up to 50 percent.

The strike has received massive solidarity. Lorraine said, “Support is growing all the time and has kept us going.

“We’ve even had people saying they had been frightened to take this sort of action before but now they feel that if we can do it, they can.”